Chouwara Tanneries

The ancient city of Fes is incredible in so many ways. It has two old medinas, with the largest, Fes al Bali, being a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the world’s larges car-free urban areas.

One of the “must-see” attractions are the old tanneries of Chouwara, where workers turn animal hides into beautiful tanned leather. It looks like a hellaciously tough job and the smell of dyes, chemicals and pigeon dung used in the vats is fragrant, to say the least. And as long as you are willing to enter a nearby leather store overlooking the tanneries (and the pressure to buy), you have a great view of this human spectacle.